


edge of the universe

by madkingray



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Getting Together, M/M, Mild Gore, The Last of Us Universe, mentions of amputation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 04:05:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15573381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madkingray/pseuds/madkingray
Summary: Keith searches for Shiro in a dead world.





	edge of the universe

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this really quick after having a [discussion](https://twitter.com/brighteststarus/status/1024430612709629955) with brighteststarus on Twitter. We discussed sheith in TLOU universe (since it's such a big world that has plenty of potential) and I wanted to write... well, this.
> 
> Hope you enjoy <3!
> 
> (Thank you Aki, Rox, and Nova for making sure this was okay <3! Y'all are so good to me.)

Keith stares up at the medical research facility with trepidation, thumb brushing over the raised lines of his Firefly dog tags—a soothing habit that’s been with him as long as the tags.

He spent about two weeks traveling to get to this place, going by faded roadmaps and blood-splattered signs. Keith expected to see some guards patrolling the area, since it was a Firefly base after all, but all he’s seen so far is a few infected here and there.

“I hope someone’s in there,” he mutters, forcing himself to take a step towards the front doors. 

_ I hope he’s in there. _

Releasing the pendant and tucking it beneath his shirt, Keith pulls out his machete to be prepared.

He slowly pushes one of the doors open and peeks inside, only heading in when he sees no infected stumbling around. Even if he didn’t spot them right away, he would have as he headed deeper into the building—their glowing eyes always shine brightest in the dark, and the raspy moans and monstrous snarls echo throughout the buildings. Runners and Stalkers, the easiest to kill since they’re the weakest stages of infection.

If he hears clicking, then he knows it’s time to be careful and silent. Clickers are dangerous with their use of echolocation, but all he has to do is make no noise as he takes them out from behind or sneaks around them.

Kill them before they kill you.

Keith steps around the pieces of broken glass that came from the skylight, ignoring the smears of blood across the floor as he moves towards the door that’s just past the front desk.

It leads into a long hallway that has doors leading to different offices and test labs, none of which have what he’s looking for. Trying not to feel frustrated, Keith hopes for better luck as he climbs the stairs to the second floor.

He almost cheers in excitement when the fourth unlocked room he checks has something, crumpled up papers and folders that are signed with the name that beats in time with his heart. Keith also finds a small recorder in one corner of the room, settling down on one of the stools and readying himself for whatever he’s about to hear.

“Please,” he whispers as he presses down on the play button. “Tell me where you are.”

Like all the other recordings he’s heard, the voice comes out loud and clear—low and smooth, exhaustion clear in the tone.

_ “Log number… something, I’ve lost count. The Fireflies have been conducting more tests on people who have been bitten, promising them a cure when we all know that there isn’t one.” _ A sigh.  _ “I thought I would be able to see this job to the end, that I would be able to gather up enough information to take them down from the inside, but I can’t bring myself to be a part of this anymore. I have to leave.” _

Keith hears the telltale sound of a door opening in the recording, followed by a rustle of fabric that muffles the audio. Keith taps his nails along the desk in front of him as he waits, perking up when the voice returns.

_ “I’ll be heading west where the Fireflies have yet to spread. This is Takashi Shirogane, signing off.” _

“West,” Keith breathes, a smile stretching across his face. “Shiro went west.”

It’s the most he’s gotten since he first set out to search for his best friend, combing through countless abandoned Firefly bases for any clue. All he’s found so far are recorders like this one, Shiro logging what the Fireflies have been doing in their quest to find a cure for the infection.

He’s about to shut the recorder off when he hears the sound of his name, the softness of Shiro’s voice making his heart  _ ache _ .

_ “Keith,” _ Shiro says.  _ “I know you’re out there, somewhere, and I hope you know that I’ve been trying my hardest to find you.”  _ His voice wavers. _ “When I see you again I swear I’ll tell you that I—” _

The recording stops there.

“Tell me what?” Keith asks into the empty room, staring down at the recorder. He plays it again, just in case it was a mistake, and slumps when it cuts off at the same place. “What do you want to tell me, Shiro?”

He pulls out the Firefly pendant and traces over the letters as he’d done so many times before, mouthing the name that is etched in the smooth metal and his memory for all of time.

_ Takashi Shirogane. _

“I’ll find you,” he promises, metal growing warm when he curls a hand around it. “I’ll never give up on you.”

 

☆ ☆

 

“Dammit,” Keith mutters, staring at the spores that fill up the room ahead of him. He ties his hair up into a ponytail with a rubber band and swings his backpack to his front, pulling his gas mask out and putting it on. 

He doesn’t really need it, but he hates the feeling of the spores in his throat.

His companion, a wolfdog, nudges his side with a small whine. The animal is black in color, a long stripe of grey going from the back of his head to the tip of his tail, and white covering the top of his head and around his eyes. Keith found him as a puppy when he was traveling through a forest, and the wolfdog quickly grew to reach his waist. He hasn’t left Keith’s side since.

“I know, Cosmo,” Keith murmurs soothingly, scratching behind his ears. “I don’t know what the spores will do to you, so you’ll have to find a way around. Understand?”

Cosmo whines again and licks his fingers before edging away from him and running off. Keith knows that he understood, the wolfdog is much more intelligent than one would guess.

Keith cautiously makes his way through the building, going from room to room to search for any supplies. He scavenges up a pair of scissors and a few bullets for his gun, but what he finds in the seventh room is even more surprising.

A man is sitting on the floor, head turned towards him. He rises after a few seconds of staring, and Keith is quick to pull out his gun and point it at the man’s forehead, voice low when he says, “Step any closer and I shoot you to hell.”

“Okay, okay,” the man says, and that’s when Keith notices that he only has one arm—which is raised up in the air while Keith’s finger rests on the trigger. “I’ll keep my distance, I’m sorry. Just… don’t shoot, please? I swear I won’t hurt you. I don’t have any weapons on me.”

“Your word isn’t enough to prove that,” Keith says, but he does lower his gun after a while. He keeps it at his side to show that the threat is still there. “Why are you hiding out in here? You stuck or something?”

“Yeah,” the man answers with a weak laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “My friends and I got separated when a few Runners came after us. I hid in this room when I realized I was alone. I may have gotten better at protecting myself with just one arm, but I don’t think I can take on six infected and live.”

“Most people can’t,” Keith replies dryly and is rewarded with another laugh.

Now that Keith knows that there are Runners in the building, he swears he can hear them in the distance. If there are really six out there, then there’s no way he can take them on himself (even if he does have his secret advantage).

He sighs and holds out his gun.

“Take it,” he tells him. “Only shoot when you have to, I don’t like wasting bullets.”

“What?”

“Take the gun,” Keith says in exasperation. “I’ll lead you out of here, okay? I’m passing through anyway, might as well.”

“Oh!” The man shuffles forward and takes the gun, keeping a tight grip on it. “Um, thank you. Most people would have left me for dead.” He snorts. “Or killed me themselves.”

“Good thing I’m not most people,” Keith says, pulling his knife out from the sheath that’s on his lower back. “Stay behind me and wait for me to kill them, I’ll try to come at them from behind so we aren’t swarmed. Don’t make any noise or sudden movement, I don’t want to lose the element of surprise.”

“Got it.”

“Name?”

“I’m… Ryou,” he says hesitantly. It’s obviously not his real name, but Keith isn’t going to push.

“Akira,” Keith replies smoothly. He’s more used to giving out a fake one, because he’s learned that nothing good comes out of people knowing who he truly is. “Are your friends going to be right outside?”

“Probably not, but I do know where they’re going.”

Keith nods and walks over to open the door. “Then let’s get going.”

Ryou listens to his instructions, and also quietly informs him of how many Runners are in the rooms they’re passing through. Keith is able to kill the infected by coming up behind them and sinking his blade into their heads, carefully laying them out on the floor before moving onto the next one. It’s easy to do, but he fucks up and makes too much noise—causing a Stalker to turn his way and rush at him with a screech.

Keith has to kick it away from him, stumbling as he tries to get his footing back, and tries to pull out his machete when it starts charging at him again. Ryou comes in clutch and fires the gun when it gets too close, bringing it down with a bullet to the head.

“Thanks,” Keith mutters, receiving a nod in response.

There were actually eight infected in total, all taken care of with no bites or scratches, and they leave the building without any more trouble.

Cosmo is waiting outside for him and rushes forward with a happy bark, nearly knocking Keith down when he jumps up on him. Keith lets out a laugh and pets through his fur, commanding that he sit and giving him a treat when he obeys.

“He doesn’t bite,” Keith says when he notices Ryou standing farther away. “Cosmo’s a very good boy and he knows that I won’t give him pets if he’s bad.”

“That’s very reassuring,” Ryou replies wryly.

The wolfdog merely looks at Ryou and then proceeds to ignore him in favor of nudging Keith’s hand for more pets like the spoiled creature that he is. Still, Keith indulges him for a while before walking over to Ryou.

“I think we’re safe now,” Keith tells him, eyeing the area around them to make sure they’re clear of infected—they are, and even if he missed any he knows he can count on Cosmo for backup. “Where are you supposed to meet your friends?”

Ryou slowly turns in a circle, facing to the right of where they’re standing and pointing at a tall building that’s marked with the words ‘Red Lion Hotel.’ “Over there,” he says. “We’re going to stay there for the night and hunt the area for more supplies before moving on.” 

Keith reaches up to pull his mask off when Ryou starts doing the same, removing the rubber band from his hair so he can shake it free. It’s almost long enough to obscure his vision, he’ll have to cut it soon.

He’s about to offer to take Ryou to the hotel when he looks up, breath lost once he gets a good look at Ryou’s face.

“Shiro,” he whispers in shock, eyes wide. His mask slips from his fingers.

Ryou— _ Shiro _ is staring back at him in equal surprise, looking so different with the shock of white hair and the scar across the bridge of his nose. “Keith!” he exclaims, visibly swallowing. He stammers for a bit and then stops to take a deep breath, looking at the ground. His eyes are warm when he lifts his head again, smile soft when he says, “You saved me.”

Keith can’t help but smile back at him. “We saved each other,” he replies, stepping closer.

He wraps both arms around him, relaxing when he feels Shiro’s single arm circle around his waist after a few seconds. His eyes slip shut as he breathes in the scent of his best friend and a lump appears in his throat.

Finally,  _ finally, _ he found him.

 

☆ ☆

 

“So… tattoos, huh?”

Keith takes a big swig of his water and glances over at Shiro, who is staring at his exposed shoulder with a strange look on his face. He looks around to make sure that they’re truly alone. With the exception of Cosmo sleeping in the sun, they are—it’s just a force of habit by now. Keith sheds his hoodie, showing the tattoo that spreads from his right shoulder and down his entire right arm.

“Yup,” he says, turning to show off the ones on his left. “Got them to hide the scratches and bites. Didn’t want anyone to shoot me before I could explain.”

“Scratches?” Shiro asks in surprise. “Bites? What? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Keith is quick to reassure. Damn, he forgot that Shiro didn’t know. “Okay, look. This is going to sound crazy, but… I’m immune.” He turns his arm to expose the scarred skin on his right wrist. “See this? I got it a couple of years ago when I was sneaking out of the quarantine zone for some fun. Thought I was done for and waited to die, found out I was immune when I woke up the next morning.”

“Jesus,” Shiro exhales as he brushes his fingers over the healed bite. The touch sends sparks down Keith’s spine. “How many more bites do you have?”

“Another on my shoulder,” Keith answers, touching it with his free hand. “I got lucky, it wasn’t too deep. Coulda torn out my throat if I didn’t have my knife on me.” He kicks his left foot. “I have one on my ankle, too. Got it when I was still wearing sneakers and wading through water that went up to my chest. The scratches are mostly on my arms, so those are hidden beneath the tattoos.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Shiro whispers. He pulls away and pushes the sleeve up what’s left of his arm, revealing scarred skin. “Had to get it cut off after I got bit, didn’t want the infection to spread.”

“What?” Keith asks, heart stopping in his chest. “You got bit? And you’re okay?”

“I wouldn’t say that I’m okay, I did lose an arm,” Shiro says with a weak smile. “But at least I’m here.” He reaches out and grabs one of Keith’s hands, squeezing it. “At least  _ we’re _ here.”

Keith gently frees his hand so he can throw himself forward and wrap his arms around Shiro. They fall back on the roof but he doesn’t care, he’s certain that they both need this right now.

“At least we’re here,” he echoes, burying his face in Shiro’s neck while Shiro’s arm snakes around his waist.

After a while, Keith starts to move away. He stops when Shiro’s arm tightens around him, peering down at him curiously. Shiro’s cheeks are dusted pink, and there’s an intensity to his gaze that makes Keith’s insides squirm.

He suddenly remembers the last recording he found.

“Shiro?” Keith says softly. “Your recordings, um. I found them.”

“Did you?” Shiro asks. “And you… listened to them?”

“Yup. All of them.” Keith doesn’t mention how he spent most of his nights playing them, wanting to hear Shiro’s voice again. “In your last one, you said that you were going to tell me something once you saw me again. Well… I’m here.”

Shiro’s cheeks darken further, eyes going wide. “Oh, um…” He releases his hold on Keith and shifts, so Keith sits up the rest of the way and helps Shiro up. They’re sitting across from each other now, and Shiro looks… nervous.

“I wanted to say—” Shiro starts, stopping and taking a deep breath. “I-I was going to tell you—” Shiro visibly swallows. Their eyes lock, and then Shiro is muttering, “Fuck it,” as he moves forward and captures Keith’s lips in a kiss.

Keith stills for a second, melting into the kiss once it registers and pushing him back onto the roof again. He eagerly dips his tongue into Shiro’s mouth, their desperate sounds muffled as the kiss escalates into a full on makeout session.

The world is in ruins and things may never go back to the way they were, but they’re together now—and  _ nothing _ will keep them apart ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/viribirb) if you wanna see more sheith content!
> 
> Also, I have written another zombie apocalypse AU before - check it out [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12217539/chapters/27749592)!


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